On the evening of August 14, 32 young detectives came to the library to attempt to solve the Case of the Death Dealing Donut! As the chief inspector revealed the details of the case, it became clear to the participants that a terrible crime had been committed. There was a favorite librarian who had been given a toxic pastry and eight people were suspects. After a brief introduction, the detectives were sent forth to solve the case.
Splitting into teams, the detectives only had 45 minutes to solve it. They traveled through the children’s room and teen room to interview the suspects. Questions were asked, accusations were levied, lies were told, and alibis were checked. The suspects sweated under the relentless interrogations while the detectives struggled to put together the puzzle of what happened that afternoon. Each of the teams wrote their solution before reconvening in the program room for the finale.
 Junior Detectives interviewing Susan the library director |
 Junior Detectives interview unhappy library patron |
 Junior Detectives interviewing Dolores the librarian |
 The winners of Mystery Night! |
The chief inspector took over and did one final interview of the suspects. With the help of the notes from the detectives, the culprit was identified! Cornered, she confessed. Three of the eleven teams correctly solved the case. The team that got the solution first received detective kits for their hard work.
Part puzzle, part theater, Mystery Night was a ton of fun. We have this program once a year each summer. Should we do it more often? If you think so, let us know!